Two physicians have been sentenced to prison in separate healthcare fraud schemes headlines this week’s health news. Meanwhile, FDA makes new rules to curb e-cigarettes usage by teens and more than 40healthcare organizations partner to improve diagnostics

Researchers at Harvard Medical School and West Virginia University were awarded $13.3 million in funding from PCORI for a trial that compares strategies for primary care providers in rural areas for treating people with major depressive disorders

The report analyses the psychological factors that shape the health decisions of consumers, and evaluates the emotional and cognitive issues that prevents individuals from fully engaging with and taking advantage of preventive care services.

Cigna plans to use predictive analytics to identify consumers who at a higher risk of opioid overdose and partner with agencies in those areas in order to help combat the epidemic. Meanwhile, government pulls funding for pain relief training; a lobbying blitz has been launched on Capitol Hill as lawmakers vote on opioid measures, and more

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimated that in 2016, over 42,249 Americans died from opioid overdoses, the most of any year on record. More than 2.1 million Americans had an opioid use disorder in 2016, with economic costs from the epidemic estimated to be as much as $504 billion dollars.

In a guidance issued to state Medicaid directors, the acting director of the Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services, Tim Hill specified that the CMS doesn’t need to approve telehealth coverage changes for opioid treatment unless the state chooses to cover telehealth encounters differently than in-person visits. The guidance encourages the directors of various Medicaid programs to coordinate care fo

The FDA approved a new 5-day medication by Dova Pharmaceuticals. The medication is designed to temporarily increase platelet counts in patients with chronic liver disease so they can be treated without severe bleeding.

Location-based ads are being used by personal injury law firms to target patients when they enter emergency rooms. The trend has raised concerns among patients, government officials and health privacy experts.